Triple chocolate chocolate-chip cookies

Unfortunately, I come from a family of chocolate maniacs. I used to think I was better than them. When my Mum used to have to hide chocolate from my Dad because he simply couldn’t help himself, I’d look down pityingly upon him from the comfort of my high horse. When my sister would moan that she couldn’t say no to proffered chocolate, I’d scoff. When I’d find bars of CDM under my Grandma’s pillow, I’d flick the reigns and canter away, smug little nose in the air.

But now that I’m a grown up, I’ve realised that actually, me and the brown stuff have problems.

I fantasise about it. I stash it around the house so there’s always a supply when I need it. I go wildly out of my way to make sure I’ve got the highest quality product available. Most of the time, I can refuse chocolate if I really try hard. But if I’m not concentrating, I can destroy a bar of Green and Blacks butterscotch milk chocolate without taking a breath.

That’s why this year, I did something I’ve not done in years: I gave up chocolate for Lent. I won’t bore you with the details. It was tough, but my pancreas loved me for it. Save for one post-work out run in with a jar of Nutella and a teaspoon, I stayed clean (hey, I’d run like 8 miles).

The best thing about giving up chocolate for Lent? Making up for it afterwards.

Since Easter, I’ve been going mad with the chocolate recipes. The day before Easter, I found myself googleing “ultimate chocolate recipes.” As well as reward for my Lenten goodness, this was also a brilliant research opportunity. I’ve decided I’m going to make all the desserts at our upcoming wedding – a decision I’m probably going to regret later, but one that’s paying delicious dividends right now.

I’ve a couple of beauties up my sleeve to share with you, but this is one of my faves. These cookies are soft with a bit of crumble to the edges. I like my chocolate chips FAT, but if you prefer less of a bite to your cookie, chop the chocolate more finely, or even grate some of it.

Do you have a favourite chocolate recipe? Please share a link in the comments below.

Makes 12-14 cookies

What you need

120g good quality dark chocolate (minimum 80% cocoa solids)

125g unsalted butter

75g light brown sugar

50g caster sugar

1 large egg

150g plain flour

1 tsp bicarb of soda

½ tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

200g mixed dark, milk and white chocolate, cut into generous chunks

How to make it

Preheat the oven to 170˚C, and grease and line a baking tray.

Put the broken up dark chocolate into a heat-proof bowl over a small saucepan of boiling water (making sure the bowl isn’t touching the water).

Stir until completely melted, then add the butter. Keep stirring.

When the butter is melted, add the sugars and stir some more until you’ve got a deliciously dark and glossy mixture.

Remove the bowl from the heat and sieve in the flour, bicarb and salt. Stir until completely combined.

Next, crack in the egg and add the vanilla extract. Stir again, until the mixture is pillowy and shiny.

Now fold in the chopped chocolate. It might be easier to use your hands at this stage, to make sure the chocolate is evenly distributed.

Using your hands, roll golf-ball sized balls of cookie dough and place them onto the baking tray. Make sure they’re well spaced out (I got 6 on my baking tray, so baked them in 2 batches.)

Bake for 10-12 minutes until slightly spread but still soft. Leave to cool on a baking rack.